HOME PAGE: No matter what your political views might be... One thing is for certain. In these days of fast news and even faster life styles... We all seem to have forgotten those moments in history that so abruptly and tragically changed this beloved Country of ours... 9/11… How soon we forget…

Monday, November 29, 2010

In case you might have missed the BIG fight Sunday, but heard about it from friends, family or coworkers later on... Well... here’s your chance to click it out!!! Or heck... Here’s your chance to see it again, as far as that goes...

Read up/watch video on the Sunday, NFL, Texans/Tennessee fight at none other than the NFL.Fanhouse.com website. Click it out at link below...

Friday, November 26, 2010

North Korea continues to play this dangerous game of theirs that has so far killed four S. Koreans during Tuesday’s artillery attack and killed another46 sailors back in March when they torpedoed a S. Korean Naval Ship. Today... fresh artillery shots were heard on the S. Korean Island of Yeonpyeong... U.S. Aircraft Carrier Group entering Korean Seas...

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿*The Washington Post brings us the following early this Friday morning and this AP report starts off like this...Fresh artillery shots were heard Friday on the tense South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, three days after it was devastated by a North Korean attack and hours after Pyongyang warned that the peninsula was on the brink of war... The blasts happened just after the top U.S. commander in South Korea, Gen. Walter Sharp, toured Yeonpyeong Island in a show of solidarity with Seoul and to survey damage from Tuesday's hail of North Korean artillery fire that killed four people...

* RTTNews.com reports...The Chinese government has finally begun efforts aimed at defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula through parleys with the US, South Korea and North Korea, reports said on Friday...

* CSMonitor.com has the following report posted up on their website today and it goes in part like this ...The joint exercises set for Sunday have provoked a predictably confrontational response from North Korea. Its state news agency promised that North Korea’s Army is “getting ready to give a shower of dreadful fire and blow up the bulwark of the enemies.”... The agency further warned, according to The New York Times, that the “situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war due to the reckless plan of those trigger-happy elements to stage war exercises” - exercises, the agency emphasized, that are targeted against the North...

* The New York Times reports...China engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity Friday, three days after a North Korean artillery attack on South Korean civilians, but its most public message was directed at the United States, which is about to begin joint exercises with South Korea’s navy... In a statement from its Foreign Ministry, China warned against “any military acts in our exclusive economic zone without permission,” the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Friday. But virtually all the waters to the west of the Korean Peninsula, where the United States said the exercises would take place, lie within that zone, and American naval traffic is far from uncommon there... Adding yet more tension to the situation, North’s state-run media also warned that the maneuvers could push the Korean Peninsula closer to “the brink of war.”...

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The USS George Washington carrier strike group will join Republic of Korea (ROK) naval forces in the waters west of the Korean peninsula from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 to conduct the next exercise in the series announced at the 2+2 meetings in July.

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This exercise is defensive in nature. While planned well before yesterday's unprovoked artillery attack, it demonstrates the strength of the ROK-U.S. Alliance and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence. It is also designed to improve our military interoperability.

U.S. and allied operations are built on an already strong foundation of cooperation and this exercise is intended to further enhance interoperability. The U.S. and ROK forces will conduct air defense and surface warfare readiness training.

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The U.S. Navy routinely operates in the waters off the Korean peninsula and has conducted numerous operations and exercises in this area. In October 2009 the George Washington strike group conducted similar operations in the international waters west of the Korean peninsula. U.S. aircraft carriers frequently visit the Korean peninsula and conduct port visits in Busan; such as USS George Washington in 2010, USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74)in March 2009, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS George Washington in 2008.

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For a list of participating ROK forces, please contact ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

I did this short story a few years back to bring back memories in my family of those good old days when we were all so young and the family was everything. Today I wish to share this story with you and those overseas doing this country so proud. Hope it helps bring back in you some of those good OLD memories about some of your past Thanksgivings with your loved ones...

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God bless and Happy Thanksgiving to you all...

AubreyJ.........

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Photo of my Grandparents house – Now owned by Aunt Martha Ree

Photo taken in 2001 by Aunt Louise.

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(And so my story begins... from the eyes of a little seven year old country boy... ME!!!)

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In this story, I tried to bring back those

good old days at Thanksgiving time. All that good

cooking and eating that went on.... It's like them

days had happened just yesterday!!!

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I can remember dad driving up to the Big House and all of us

kids jumping out of the car and making a dash for the porch.

Just to be pulled back to help unload the car of all the food

offerings that we had brought for the Thanksgiving feast.

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As we walk into the house, we're greeted by hugs and kisses from the Aunts and warm hellos from the Uncles. Smile at Papaw as we walk by and on to the kitchen and out to the back porch we go.

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After unloading all the food on the tables outside, it's time to go and get a big hug and kiss from Mamaw. Naturally we would always get the yes mam - no mam drill from her and after that all of us kids would take off in our own directions.

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Now as for me- I usually ran for Uncle Buddy and would jump up into his arms. We'd have a short man to man chat, then it was off to Papaw. Oh yea... That short dash, backward flip to a tail slide across the arm of the chair topped off with a good 10 point landing- down between the side of Papaw and the arm of the chair. Such perfection- I'd even managed to miss that big old cigar that was always in Papaw's mouth.

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"Hey Papaw.... Got you any wolves this week???" I sure did love getting up in that chair with Papaw. All the small talk that went

on between us that only Papaws and their grandchildren can have and the smell of Papaw's cigar- Now how can any of us forget that!!!

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After a short visit with Papaw, I would run through the house to see what all the cousins were up to. Shoot- It always seemed that by the time we could all get together and get some kind of game started, all through the house you would hear Mamaw calling... "Everyone come to the table- it's time to eat."

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Now you would think that all us kids would come a running!!! Well some of us would, yet some of us would not.......Yes sir, some of us kids were a little hard headed. Figure that!!!

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We would give ourselves them excuses like"If we hurry up- we can finish this game and then go eat." This never did work out, no matter what we were playing... A few minutes would pass by, then someone would come for us bringing major threats from our parents. Hard headed are not, we knew for our own self preservation it would be best to make a dash for the tables about this time.....

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Now... Where you got to sit down and eat was all up to how old you was. When you came of age, you got to eat at the big tables. If not of age yet, you had to eat in the kitchen or on the back porch. (I thought on this for a little bit and came to this conclusion... If we were to have a family reunion this Thanksgiving... and everyone showed up, I'd still end up on the back porch or at best in the kitchen... and I'm 49 years old now!!!) Oh well...

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After everyone got settled down in their chairs it would start to get real quit. That's because before we could all start eating we had to have prayer. There was always some praying going on but it was more on the lines of: "Lord, please don't let Aunt Alice say the prayer this year." Mother would have the food cold by the time she got done with the Thanksgiving Blessings. Yes sir... That woman could sure do some praying at the table!!!

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Anyway- after a good 5 minutes of quit time, we finally got to eat. A-Men!!! There's no need in going over the list of food again because we had it all and then some... I'd eat so much that there was no way in the world I was going anywhere near that dessert table. Well not for an hour or two.....

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After the feast, all us kids would take off to play and the adults would clean up and then head for the living room to visit and watch football. Uncle J.P. and Dad would go outside and have them a smoke while Uncle Jack and Uncle R.V. headed for the back bedrooms for a short nap. After a while dad and Uncle J.P. would catch up with the men and us kids knew to play very quietly around this time. If we had awakened any of the men we would have all been dead meat!!!

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I could go on and on with this story but I think I'll end it here. Besides, I have so many fond memories about this time of the year that I'd have to write a small book to cover them all...

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Anyway, I truly hope that this short story has sparked a few fond memories in all of you and I'll end with this wish... May you and yours have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving and for god sake… Don't burn up the rolls this year!!!

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Story by: AubreyJ.........

Aubrey J. Fawcett

Written back on November15, 2002

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WZTV Fox17/Nashville had the following GREAT holiday piece that I ran across today, just in time for Thanksgiving... What’s it about you ask? Well... Jodi Foster and her daughter Kayla received V.I.P. treatment at the past Tennessee Titans game, and then some... Bottom line is you GOT to click this one out and be SURE to watch the video too at link below...

* The Chosunilbo website brings us the following extremely troubling news and it starts off like this...North Korea on Tuesday fired scores of coastal artillery and howitzer shells on Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea, killing two South Korean marines, wounding 16 soldiers and three civilians, and damaging homes and facilities. This was the first time since the Korean War that the North has fired artillery shells on a civilian area in South Korea... President Lee Myung-bak warned the North could launch further provocations because its military" is still on the offensive. I believe we should punish them severely to a point where they will never think of another attack." Lee was speaking during a visit to the Joint Chiefs of Staff... The government called the attack a "clear armed provocation." Lee later told ministers in charge of foreign affairs and security to "respond firmly beyond the rules of engagement," according to a government spokesman...

*TheKorea Herald report goes in part like this... “The firing of artillery by North Korea on Yeonpyeong Island constitutes an indisputable armed provocation against the Republic of Korea,” President Lee’s top aide for public relations Hong Sang-pyo said in an official statement following an emergency security meeting presided by Lee... “Making matters worse, it even indiscriminately fired against civilians. Such actions will never be tolerated.”...

* YONHAP News Agency reports the news this way...North Korea's deadly artillery attack on a front-line island Tuesday left South Koreans in shock and fear of further provocations, also angering some who are demanding immediate retribution against the belligerent communist state...

In an editorial found in the China media early Wednesday... they wrote in part... “South Korea and China are the countries that care the most about stability of North Korea, while the U.S. and Japan are looking after their own interests in the region,” it said. “Perhaps there is an invisible hand throwing the Peninsula's dynamics into disorder.” I for one can’t help but feel the dirty hands of Iran feeding the fire in some way or the other in all this mess. But who’s to say...

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Anyway... TheHindu.com website has a good ,day after report, that starts off like this...A day after North Korea fired more than 100 rounds of artillery shells on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, leaving at least two marines and two civilians dead, the international community began mobilising to find a suitable diplomatic response to the escalating crisis on the Korean Peninsula...

*CNN.comhas the following report posted on their website this Wednesday morning and it starts off like this...The USS George Washington sailed toward volatile waters off the Korean peninsula Wednesday for planned military exercises with South Korea in a show of force designed to deter a further escalation of hostilities with North Korea... The exercises were billed as defensive in nature and were a more measured response than the retaliation initially urged by South Korea after North Korea's shelling of a South Korean island Tuesday, the most serious act of hostility since the end of the Korean war... "It is a long-planned exercise," said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff... "That said, it is meant to send a very strong signal of deterrence and also work with our very close allies in South Korea," Mullen said...Read this report in full at link below...

Last thought, for now, is this... When things like this mess were going on in Korea, in years of past under the Bush administration, then Secretary of State Colin Powel, and later on his successor Condoleezza Rice would have both been all out in front of the media cameras doing their jobs in view of the entire world.

So with that said...

Where the heck has our NOW Secretary of State Hilary Clinton been!!!?

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AJ.........

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POST UPDATE:

Thursday, November 25, 2010

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South Korean Defense Minister Quits Over Attack

About above news video: AP brings us the above video this Turkey Day and it’s a real good update on things going on over in the Korean area these last few days.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Ok... I know a lot of you guys and gals out there are like me and want to know what all this 3D TVthingy is all about. So... I looked around and found the following Videos by Best Buy that seems to meet the task. So click out the following videos below and start learning about the NEW 3D technology out there.

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Learn about 3D technology and how to build a full HD 3D experience in your own home!

November 11th is Veterans Day, a day to honor America's military Veterans.

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Since 1954, the Veterans Day National Committee has worked to ensure Veterans Day receives proper and widespread observance. Part of that outreach this year includes the above video for students explaining how and why we honor Veterans, not just on Veterans Day, but year-round.

Monday, November 08, 2010

Lead Investigator on Presidential Panel for GP Gulf Oil-Spill Investigation Finds no Evidence Anyone put Shortcut for Savings over Safety

Monday, November 08, 2010

.Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling platform

sinks during Gulf Oil Disaster.

DoE File photo

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* Bloomberg.com brings us the following report and it starts off like this...The U.S. panel investigating the BP Plc oil spill found no evidence decisions were made to put profit ahead of safety on the drilling rig, its co-chairman said... Environmental groups and lawmakers have said BP cut corners to reduce costs as the company sought to complete the doomed well that was $58.4 million over budget and move the Deepwater Horizon rig leased from Transocean Ltd. to another project. The U.S. House in July passed legislation that would bar BP from offshore drilling leases based on safety lapses... “We certainly found no evidence that anyone had scrimped on safety, for example, to save money,” William Reilly, co- chairman of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, told reporters today at a break in the commission’s meeting in Washington...The panel is releasing preliminary findings today on causes of the blowout...

* The New York Times has this take...The lead investigator for the presidential panel investigating the BP oil spill said on Monday that he had found no evidence that anyone involved in drilling the doomed well had taken safety shortcuts to save money... Fred H. Bartlit Jr., a prominent trial lawyer hired to lead the panel’s inquiry, disputed the findings of other investigators, including members of Congress, who have charged that BP and its main partners, Transocean and Halliburton, had cut corners to speed completion of the well, which cost $1.5 million a day to drill... “To date we have not seen a single instance where a human being made a conscious decision to favor dollars over safety,” Mr. Bartlit said on Monday. The statement came near the beginning of a detailed presentation Mr. Bartlit gave on the causes of the April 20 disaster on a drilling rig off the Louisiana coast, which killed 11 workers and led to the biggest offshore oil spill in American history...

Thursday, November 04, 2010

About above image: Space Shuttle Discovery stands on Launch Pad at
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Thursday morning. There was a “no go” for launch today due to the bad weather.

Friday's launch time is 2:04pm CDTPhoto Credit: NASA TV

.......................................................................................Post UPDATED at...Friday, November 05, 20101:32pm CDT.NASA Postpones Launch of Space Shuttle DiscoveryRELEASE: 10-294.CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA postponed Space Shuttle Discovery's launch to the International Space Station due to a hydrogen gas leak detected while filling the external tank..The leak, detected early Friday morning while the shuttle's external fuel tank was being loaded, was at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, an attachment point between the external tank and a 7-inch pipe that carries gaseous hydrogen safely away from Discovery to the flare stack, where it is burned off..NASA's mission managers will hold a meeting at 11 a.m. Friday to discuss the repair options and Discovery's launch opportunities. A news conference will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website no earlier than 1 p.m. with Mike Moses, Space Shuttle Program launch integration manager and Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director..Next window for Discovery's liftoff is November 30th through December 5th. The 11-day STS-133 mission will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) to the station. The PMM, which was converted from the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, will provide additional storage for the station crew and experiments may be conducted inside it, such as fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology..The flight also will transport critical spare parts and the Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) to the station. ELC4 is an external platform that holds large equipment. Robonaut 2, or R2, will be the first human-like robot in space when it flies on Discovery inside the PMM to become a permanent resident of the station. The mission will feature two spacewalks to do maintenance work and install new components..Commander Steve Lindsey leads the veteran crew, which includes Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Tim Kopra, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott..STS-133 is the final shuttle mission planned for 2010, Discovery’s 39th flight and the 35th shuttle mission to the station...................................................................Shuttle Team to Look at GUCP, Foam Crack Issues.Technicians will retrieve the ground umbilical carrier plate at Launch Pad 39A and begin a close look at it over the weekend after a leak in the apparatus prompted a scrub of Friday's launch attempt for space shuttle Discovery. Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director, said the liftoff was postponed until no earlier than November 30th so engineers could have time to consider the problem and inspect the GUCP more closely..Mission managers also will look closely at a crack in the external tank foam that developed as supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were being drained from the tank. The 15-story tall, orange external tank shrinks and expands as its temperature changes from the effects of the propellants. That change can cause the foam insulation on the outside of it to crack..Mike Moses, chair of the Mission Management Team, said the crack did not develop until after the launch attempt was called off. However, he said the team will analyze the crack carefully...Again...Next Possible Launch OpportunityWill be at the end of month on...Tuesday, November 30that 4:05am EST.

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

About above File Photo: Space Shuttle Discovery soars away from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, beginning its maiden voyage and a storied spaceflight career that spanned more than 26 years. The on-time liftoff occurred at 8:42 A.M. EDT.

The Space Shuttle Program Mission Management Team voted unanimously to proceed toward Discovery’s targeted liftoff at 3:52pm Wednesday. Mike Moses, chair of the Prelaunch Mission Management team, said there are no technical issues in work. "The mission's in great shape," Moses said.

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The weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. Those odds fall to 40 percent for Thursday. The launch window extends until Sunday. Discovery is headed to the International Space Station for an 11-day mission to deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module and its host of supplies and equipment to the orbiting outpost.

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At the launch pad this morning at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians loaded super-cold oxygen and hydrogen into Discovery's onboard tanks. The hydrogen and oxygen are going into Discovery's power reactant storage and distribution system that supplies the shuttle with electrical power during the mission. The process is often abbreviated to "PRSD load."

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Just a few more facts on this upcoming mission: During Space Shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4. Discovery has been moved to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Again... Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133 is slated to

Launch this November 3rd at 3:52pm EDT

.......................................Post Update:Tuesday, November 02, 2010."There is Excitement in the Air"10:o5am CDT.Countdown activities continue to pick up as Space Shuttle Discovery is a day away from its final launch. Technicians are inspecting the external tank liquid oxygen feedline today. The onboard and ground communications systems will be activated this afternoon and preparations are being made to move the rotating service structure away from the shuttle this evening.."There is excitement in the air," said NASA Test Director Steve Payne. "People are putting their game faces on.".This mission is the last spaceflight for Discovery, NASA's oldest active shuttle. Its history includes deployment of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and two successful Return to Flight missions, STS-26 and STS-114.."When she goes, she's going to take a little bit of every one of us and we're ready," Payne said..The weather forecast is holding steady with a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time Wednesday..Liftoff is still on track for the scheduled 3:52pm EDT Liftoff..

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.Post Update:Discovery Launch Delayed by at Least a Day8:08pm CDT.The Space Shuttle Program Mission Management Team decided to delay by at least one day the launch of Shuttle Discovery to begin its 11-day mission to the International Space Station..The Rotating Service Structure will not be retracted tonight. The delay enables engineers more time to evaluate data gathered after irregular electrical readings were received while powering up the shuttle main engines Tuesday morning..A liftoff Thursday would be at 3:29pm.......................................Post Update:MMT Gives "Go" For Thursday Launch Try, Eyes Weather6:38pm CDT

After looking deeply into an issue with a main engine controller on Space Shuttle Discovery, the Prelaunch Mission Management Team is confident the issue has been resolved, said Mike Moses, chair of the MMT. The team therefore gave a unanimous "go" for Discovery's launch Thursday at 3:29 p.m. EDT. That means the countdown will proceed through the night, including the retraction of the Rotating Service Structure from around the shuttle.

"From the vehicle perspective, we're ready to go," Moses said.

However, the weather forecast calls for a 20 percent chance of acceptable conditions, with the concerns being low clouds and rain within 20 miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility at launch time. The MMT will meet at 5:30 a.m. Thursday to consider the forecast and will decide then whether to fill the shuttle's huge external fuel tank for the launch.

"The weather still looks pretty bad for tomorrow," Moses said. "There's a chance we'll decide not to spend one of our (launch) opportunities."....................................................

About Me

My pen name is AubreyJ... I’m 60 years young and I live in Shreveport, LA. I've been married only once and that is to the same lovely lady named Amy. (It’s hard to believe that after all these years she still claims me as hers!) Have one Daughter named Michelle and two wonderful Grandsons named David, (18) and Chase, (13). I spent most of my adult life as a Manager in the Sales and Service profession. Today I am semi-retired and spend most of my time searching for news stories and Blogging on the ones that I find news worthy. I’m a... just right of the middle... Republican, who’s 1000% Pro Victory on the War on Terror. I’m a strong supporter of the Troops and my Political Party... Even though I find myself in some disagreement, yet MAJOR disappointment with where the leaders of my Party have taken us over these last so many years. Sadly -- I still cannot find very much of anything that I agree with the Dems on these days... GOD BLESS THE TROOPS... their families and this great country of ours.
AubreyJ.........